An Illinois Democrat has co-sponsored legislation that would ban the popular social media app TikTok in the US, joining Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI).
Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joined Rubio and Gallagher in co-sponsoring the "Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act" or "ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act" would ban any transactions with TikTok's Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance in the US, effectively banning the app nationwide.
The legislation is in response to security concerns over the app, as ByteDance is required by Chinese law to make the app available to government officials.
A statement from Krishnamoorthi was included in a press release about the legislation.
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“At a time when the Chinese Communist Party and our other adversaries abroad are seeking any advantage they can find against the United States through espionage and mass surveillance, it is imperative that we do not allow hostile powers to potentially control social media networks that could be easily weaponized against us. The bipartisan ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act is a strong step in protecting our nation from the nefarious digital surveillance and influence operations of totalitarian regimes. Recent revelations surrounding the depth of TikTok’s ties to the CCP highlight the urgency of protecting Americans from these risks before it’s too late."
Krishnamoorthi also acknowledged his support of the bill on his official Twitter account:
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While the bill's introduction just weeks before a new Congress is sworn in makes its passage unlikely, a show of bipartisan support could lead to the bill's re-introduction in the upcoming Congress.
Earlier this month, the Attorney General of Indiana filed a lawsuit against TikTok, citing safety and security concerns in the suit.
The legislation's announcement comes as negotiations between TikTok and the US government on how to store the data of users in the US were halted, citing potential national security issues.
